Local boat found adrift, empty in Coronado

Authorities say an empty 18-foot pleasure boat found adrift then pulled ashore by a Coronado resident over the weekend may be the latest incident involving the maritime smuggling of immigrants from Baja Mexico.

The boat was registered in San Diego and empty when searched, said Coronado Police Chief Lou Scanlon.

“The immediate concern when a local boat is found is did it drift or did someone fall overboard,” Scanlon said. “A search found no one.”

Scanlon said Coronado is cooperating with U.S. Border Patrol and Joint Terrorism Task Force officials when boats used for smuggling are found along the city’s shore, which he estimated to be about four since the first of the year. He would not provide details about how the agencies are working together.

Smuggling by sea is on the rise in recent years as boats are landing more frequently along the San Diego County coast. In July, 17 illegal immigrants were arrested when they were reportedly dropped off by boat at Black’s Beach in La Jolla. A few days earlier, 22 immigrants were arrested as they came ashore at Camp Pendleton. In June, 18 more immigrants were arrested on the same base after apparently getting out of a boat.

Scanlon said the boat found Saturday night was an “outboard runabout” and not the typical panga, a boat used in Mexico for fishing. Pangas are larger and can hold at least two dozen people, he said.

“They believe it may likely have been used for smuggling but they couldn’t determine whether it had been,” Scanlon said Monday. “It most likely was not used to smuggle drugs because they had dogs check the boat.”

Residents reported seeing helicopters with bright searchlights flying up and down the beach from about 10 p.m. until 11 p.m. Saturday night. The helicopters also searched above residential streets.

In an e-mail to Coronado city officials Monday, resident Jerry Toci demanded that the city keep locals apprised of such incidents, which he said “are now occurring on a regular basis.”

“This is our town, our neighborhood, our beach,” Toci said. “These events can easily be updated on the city website.”

Scanlon noted that the problem is not unique to Coronado but said residents who see any suspicious boat activity should call police immediately. He said those immigrants getting off boats have not been “dropped off” in Coronado. He said transportation arrangements are prearranged. He said Border Patrol officials recently arrested immigrants locally after following them to a spot in Los Angeles where they could more easily arrest the group.

“We are working to address this through the most effective means,” Scanlon said.